The inherent difficulties of an unassisted individual herself selecting the correct cosmetic to match her skin both in color, shade and tone or sheen is well recognized.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,655 to Tarro, issued Dec. 3, 1974 teaches one approach to cosmetics selection which rejects printed color charts and directs the user to a comparison between a useable supply of the actual product packaged in a transparent covering layer and either, a reflected image of the user's skin or, directly with the skin itself. However, a range of products is therefore required for selection which can often, therefore, be carried out only in the store itself while several of products cannot be conveniently held together against the skin for simultaneous comparison. Handling actual cosmetic product is also relatively time consuming while the covering of the product by a transparent film alters the reflectivity or sheen perceived for comparison.
Furthermore, the comparison of a user's reflected image with a product is also insufficiently accurate for precise matching purposes.